Annual Report of the Colonies. Bechuanaland 1923-24
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This document was created by the Digital Content Creation Unit University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 2010 COLONIAL REPORTS—ANNUAL. No. 1210. fiZCHUANALAND PROTECTORATE. REPORT FOR 1923-24. (For Report for 1922-23 see No. 1178.) LONDON: PCHLISIIEI) MY HIS MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE, bo purchased directly fruin H.M. STATIONERY OFFICE at the following address*» =. Imperial House, Kingsway, London, VV.C.2, and 2b, Abingdon St root, London, S.VV.l; York Street, Manchester, 1, St. Andrew's Crescent, Cardiff; or lti)t George Street, Edinburgh; or through any Bookseller. 1924. Price 9d. net. 2 COLONIAL REPORTS—ANNUAL. No. 1210. BECHUANALAND PROTECTORATE. ANNUAL (JKNEBAL UKPOUT FOB THK VKAK m:\ 21. • L—UlSTOlilCAL AND G EGG It A I'll IC AL. Proclamation of British Protectorate.—During the year 1885 Sir Charles Warren, who was in command of an expedition dispatched from England to pacify Southern Bechuanaland, where for some time previously hostilities had been proceeding between the Bechuana and Boers from the South African Bepublic, visited the principal Chiefs in Northern Bechuanalund (known as the Bechuanaland Protectorate), namely, Khama, Gaseitsiwe and Scheie ; and as a result a British Protectorate was proclaimed over their territories. No further steps were taken until the year 1891, when, by an Order in Council, dated the Ulh May, the iimits of the Bechuanaland Protectorate were more clearly defined, and the High Commissioner for South Africa was authorised to appoint such officers as might appear to him to be necessary to provide for the administration of justice, the raising of revenue, and generally for the peace, order, and good government of all persons within the limits of the Order. Sir Sydney Shippard, the Administrator of Bechuanaland, was appointed Ivesident Commissioner. An Assistant Commissioner was also appointed for the Southern Pro t vtorate and another for the Northern Protectorate, the laws in force in the Colony of the ('ape of Good Hope on the 10th June, IHCJ1, being declared in force in the Territory, mutatis mutandis', and so far as not inapplicable. Subsequent legislation has been effected by proclamation of the High Commissioner. Relations with the British South Africa Company.—For fiscal and otl er purposes the Protectorate was treated as a portion of the Crown Colony of British Bechuanaland until the 15th November, 1895, when the latter was annexed to the Cape Colony. In the autumn of that year arrangements were made for the transfer of the administration of the Bechuanaland Protectorate, with the exception of certain reserves for native Chiefs, to the British South Africa Company. The country occupied by the Bamalete tribe, and so much of the Bora-Tshidi Barolong country as lies within the limits of the Protectorate, were transferred to the Administration of the British South Africa Company; Dr. L. S. Jamescn being appointed Resident Commissioner therefor The * A sketch map will be found in the Report for 1914-15, No. 857; [Cd. 76H2-48]. 6ECHPANALAND PROTECTORATE, 1923-24. Company'** police were moved down to a camp in the Protectorate, at Pitsane Potlugo. From that spot, on the 29th December, Dr. Jameson crossed the border of the South African Republic with his police, and marched towards Johannesburg, which was at that time in a state of great unrest. Being defeated by the Boers at Doornkop, he surrendered on the 2nd January, 189G. In conse quence of this raid, the administration of the two areas above referred to was retransferred to the Imperial Government, by whom the Protectorate, in its entirety, is still governed under the name of the Bechuanaland Protectorate, It includes the Tati District, which is a portion of old Matabeleland conceded in 1887 by Lobengula to Mr. S. H. Edwards. Proclamation of Crown Lands.—Tn 1895 the Chiefs Khama, Scheie,and Bathoen visited England,and each of them abandoned all rights and jurisdiction in and over certain portions of his former territory. The lands thus abandoned by them were, by Order in Council dated the Kith May, 1904, declared Crown Lands, and all rights of His Majesty in or in relation thereto were vested in the High Commissioner for South Africa, who was empowered to make grants or leases of such land on such terms and conditions as he might think fit, subject to any directions received from one of His Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State. Title to these lands was subsequently granted to the British South Africa Company, subject to certain reservations, and these lands are now known as the Tuli, Gaberones and Lobatsi Blocks of farms. By virtue of the Order in Council dated the lotli January, 1.910, all other laud situate within the limits of the Bechuanaland Protectorate, elsewhere than in the Tati District, was, and still is, vested in His Majesty's High Commissioner for South Africa, subject to all the provisions of the Order in Council of the 16th May, 1904, and to the following exceptions :— (1) Such land as is either :— (a) included in any native reserve duly set apart by Proclamation; or (b) the subject of any grant duly made by or on behalf of His'Majesty ; and (2) The forty-one farms known as " The Barolong Farms/' held by members of th 1 Prolong tribe by virtue of certificates of occupation issued by the thief Montsioa on the 28th March, 1895. I Alter Developments.—During the pc iod 1890 97, the existing railway line connecting the Fnion of South Africa with Rhodesia was constructed by the Bechuanaland Railway Company, authorised thereto by High Commissioner's proclamations. (15387) Wt. IU354/674 625 9/24 Harrow G. B4 A2 4 COLONIAL REPORTS—ANNUAL. In 1898 a limited number of farms were allotted at and in the neighbourhood of Ghanzi, in the north-western corner of the Territory, to settlers, some of whom had trekked thereto as prospectors, in 1894. In 1899 the boundaries of the Bamangwato, Batawana, Bakgatla, Bakwena and Bangwaketsi native tribes were estab lished and defined by proclamation, and in 1909 the boundaries of the Bamalete native reserve were similarly fixed. In 1911 the Tati Concessions, Limited, and its successors and assigns, were confirmed by Proclamation No. 2 of 1911, in the full, free and undisturbed possession as owners of all the land within the Tati District, subject to all the teiiiis and conditions of the said Proclamation, certain lands being assigned as a reserve for the occupation of natives. This reserve is under the control of the Government. The natives residing within it hold and occupy the land included therein, subject to such rules and regu lations as are from time to time proclaimed by the High Commis sioner ; and, subject to certain conditions safeguarding the interests of the natives, the Company (now the Tati Company, Limited) retains the mining rights (including precious stones) over this native reserve. Boundaries.—The territory of the Bechuanaland Protectorate is bounded on the south and east by the Union of South Africa, on the north-east by Southern llhodesia, on the north by the Zambesi and Chobe (Linyanti) Rivers, on the west by the territory of South-West Africa, It has not been surveyed as a whole, but its area is estimated at 275,000 square miles. Its mean altitude is about 3,300 feet. In view of the geographical position of that part of the mandated territory of South-West Africa east of longitude 21° L., known as Caprivi Zipfel, it was found expedient to provide in 1922 that the latter should be administered as if it were a portion of the Bechuanaland Protectorate. By High Commissioner's Notice No. 119 of 1923 the Bechuanaland Protectorate was divided for administrative pur poses into the following Districts, with a Ivesident Magistrate at the head of each. The two Assistant Commissionerships of the Northern and Southern Protectorate have been abolished and instead an Assistant Resident Commissioner has been appointed who is Chief Magistrate for the Protectorate, and who is empowered by Proclamation No. 56 of 1923 to exercise through out the Territory all the powers, jurisdiction and authority which BECHUANALAND PROTECTORATE, 1923-24. 5 have been or may hereafter be by law conferred upon an Assistant Commissioner or Resident Magistrate :— (i) Ngamiland District.—The Ratawana Reserve, as defined by Hi tion 2 of Proclamation No. 9 of 1899, and portion of the Caprivi Zipfel east of longitude 21° E., and west of the Chobe River, together with the area of land lying to the east of the Ratawana Reserve, having for its eastern boundary the longitude 25° E#) and for its northern and southern boundaries the latitude 19° 8. and 20° S. respectively. (ii) Chobe District.—That portion of the Caprivi Zipfel which is bounded on the south and west by the Chobe River and the land lying south of the Chobe River, bounded on the west by the Ratawana Reserve, on the east by Southern Rhodesia, and on the south by the latitude 19° S. (iii) Francistown District.—The land lying within the follow ing limits :—From the junction of the Ramaquabane River with the River Shashi along the Ramaquabane River to its source; thence by the watershed of the rivers Shashi and Ramaquabane until such watershed strikes the Old Hunter's Road (called the Pandama- tenka Road); thence by that road to the place where it first crosses the Shashi River; thence along that river to its junction with the Ramaquabane River. Together with the land lying within the following limits :—Commencing at the spot where the Old Hunter's Road crosses the Mcitengwe River; thence along the Meitengwe River to its junction with the Nata River; thence along the Nata River to its junction with Slum River; ihence along the Slum River to the Makarikari Salt Lake; thence along the* southern and eastern shores of the said lake* to the* spot where the Rot let le or Suga River runs into the said lake; thence to a spot where the latitude 20° S.